Jack of Harts

The Russian Federation that entered space and the stars did so as part of an economic boom that brought new opportunity to anyone who could grasp it. The Russian Federation made its way to the stars by harnessing the wealth of its wealthiest citizens and the hopes of its poorest. The Russian Oligarchs and State worked together, and sometimes against each other, to colonize new systems in mixed private/public ventures looking for new resources to pour into Mother Russia. And their own pockets of course. Many new oligarchs have arisen over the years and others have fallen as they fight over a piece of the pie. The Russian Federation is a rough and tumble home to great opportunity to those who can grasp it and more for those who can hold it.

The Russian Federation took the Second Great Depression as an opportunity to solidify their control over the traditionally Russian territories the West had taken from them over the years. They capitalized on old Russian pride to bring their far-flung people together, and shot all the terrorists that resisted the return of Mother Russia. The Russians were very accomplished at finding and killing terrorists. They never seemed to run out of them. Though they did run out of old Russian territory to reclaim. With the Western Alliance standing up to face them, the Russians took a step back to gather their reunited peoples into the all-inclusive Russian state. It was a good time to be Russian. Not so good to be not-so-much Russian.

One of the secrets to China’s expansion during the Second Great Depression was that they did so slowly. Lightning attacks breached defenses at need, but they advanced slowly with overwhelming force and numbers. They killed those too stupid to run, and allowed the smarter ones to flee their advance. They slowed their advances to allow refugees and even soldiers to get onto evacuation ships. China did not want to capture the idiots and the free thinkers. They wanted the land and those willing to serve whoever owned it. They allowed the patriots to run with the hope of returning one day to liberate their conquered homelands. And then China made certain that was a forlorn hope by taking hold of their conquered lands with an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove.